Page 68 of On the Rocks

I nodded. “We’re sort of…back together.”

“As of when?”

“Well, tonight I guess.” I sipped my tea, letting that thought settle over me. What a wild time it had been. I supposed I owed Trish a thank you for bringing us back together here, where it all began. “I think we’ve been tiptoeing around it for weeks now, but tonight…it all just fell into place.”

My mother bit her lip, not saying anything for a second.

“What is it?”

“Are you happy?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Then that’s wonderful, honey. Really. I did always like Aiden when you two were dating…”

“But?” I asked, hearing the hesitation in her voice.

She reached out, placing her hand on my cheek. “I want you to be careful. You’ve both grown up since high school, so maybe you can make it work this time. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again. I still remember the last time—you walking through the front door in tears. You were inconsolable. It took your father and me hours to get the full story out of you.”

I’d been so young and inexperienced back then. And the breakup had been so abrupt. But this time, Aiden and I were old enough not to hurt each other like that. The circumstances were completely different. “It’ll be okay,” I told my mother. “Like you’ve said, we’ve both grown up since then. That won’t happen this time.”

But even as I said it, a wriggling unease settled in my gut.

Aiden and I still hadn’t talked about why our relationship ended in the first place. Were we ever going to clear the air, or were we just going to let it hang like a cloud over this…whatever it was between us? And for that matter, whatwasthere between us? Were we really together? Or did he consider this a fling? I thought back to the way he’d kissed me, the way he’d touched me, like I was something to be protected. You didn’t bother protecting the things you didn’t intend to keep…right?

But even if this did mean something to him, until I knew the reason why he’d ended our relationship so abruptly in high school, how could I be sure it wouldn’t happen again?

19

AIDEN

“Your chariot,” I said, pulling the passenger door of the Mercedes open for Cora. She rolled her eyes, giving me a look that saidget your ass back in the car.But I’d already committed to the bit, so I gestured to her seat with a flourish. I’d hopped out, intending to ring the doorbell and maybe say hi to her mom, but Cora had darted out the door before I could, informing me that her mother had left early for work.

“If you tell me you actually have a chariot parked in some garage in Manhattan,” Cora said as I came around the other side of the car, “I wouldn’t even be surprised.”

I laughed. “You never know. Could be a custom build project.”

“God, I’m joking. Please don’t ever pick me up from anywhere in a chariot.”

“Don’t tempt me,” I said, turning to back down the driveway. “So, you said you had something to tell me?”

Cora groaned. “You’re never going to believe this. I can’t believe I fell asleep last night before I had a chance to text you.”

I grinned. “Tuckered you out, did I?”

She flushed a pretty pink. “Anyway, you know how I was worried about my mother?”

“Yes. Did you find out what’s going on?”

“Apparently, she’s been dating Mr. Cranson this whole time.”

“What?” I almost hooted. “Our old English teacher?”

“Yes,Henry.”

“Oh my god.” I drummed my hand against the wheel. “Way to go, Bonnie!”

Cora whacked my shoulder. “That’s my mother you’re talking about.”

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